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Motivation A Glance at the Past and a Look into the Future
Motivation
A Glance at the Past and a Look
into the Future
Outline
1. Historical Background to motivation research
2. Problems with Integrativeness
3. Future Possible Selves
4. The L2 motivational self system
5. Creative materials
6. A Teacher Development Activity
Motivation is…
…the explanation of the reasons behind
human behaviour.
…the most common term teachers and
students use to explain what causes
success or failure in learning
Dominant ideas in L2
motivation research • Instrumental and integrative motivation(1959-
1990)
• Intrinsic/extrinsic: inner motivation vs situation
specific motives (1990s)
• New Approaches : examine relationship
between motivation and identity
Integrativeness
• A genuine interest in learning the second language in order to come closer to the other language community.
• An openness to and respect for other cultural groups and ways of life.
• In the extreme this might involve complete identification with the community and possible even withdrawal from one’s own group.
• More commonly …involves integration within both communities.
• (Gardner 2001:5)
2. Some problems with
integrativeness
Wikimedia creative commons: Artaxerxes
Some problems with
integrativeness
• How relevant is integrativeness in
situations where learners have no direct
contact with a community of the L2
speakers?
.
Integrativeness and the global
community
The rise of English as a global language
problematises the notion of
‘community.’
Global English
New focus on ‘bicultural identity’ ?
(Arnett 2002)
Or on integration with an imagined global
community?
The notion of integrativeness is
untenable for L2 learners in World
English contexts.
Coetzee-Van Rooy 2006
International Posture
source: wikipedia creative commons public domain
“International Posture”
Yashima (2009) found that it ‘has
become increasingly difficult for
Japanese EFL learners to identify a
clear target group or culture.’
‘Of the many reasons given for
studying English, identification with
Americans/British was among the least
endorsed items in an earlier study of my
own.’
( Yashima 2009
International posture ‘tries to capture a
tendency to relate oneself to the international
community, rather than any specific L2
group…. to see oneself as connected to the
international community, have concerns for
international affairs and possess a readiness
to interact with people other than Japanese.’
Yashima 2009
Findings
‘international posture is a valid construct that relates to motivation to learn and willingness to communicate … International posture affects learners’ motivation, which leads to proficiency as well as self-confidence which in turn accounts for L2 WTC.”
Yashima 2002, 2004 summarised in Yashima 2009
3. Future Possible Selves
Theory
Source: creative commons labelled for reuse: montessorischooltoledo
New Theories of Motivation
New theories of motivation began to link
motivation with research on the Self.
The Self…
…or Selves?
The postmodern view of identity is not
as single and fixed but as multiple,
complex and a ‘site of struggle.’
(Norton 1994)
Self-psychology
Markus and Nurius and Higgins posited
the idea of multiple selves, not only in
the present, but existing in the
imagination as ‘future possible selves’.
Future Possible Selves Possible Selves are individuals’ ideas of
• what they could become,
• what they would like to become, and
• what they are afraid of becoming
(Markus and Nurius, 1986)
• what they would like to be: the Ideal Self)
• what they feel they should be: the Ought To Self
(Higgins 1998)
What you would like to
become: the Ideal Self
Source: wikimedia creative commons author Jerzy Kuczka Poland 1980
What you are afraid of
becoming: the Feared Self
Source: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/deed.en
What you could become : the
Default Self
Source: creative commons: http://www.flickr.com/photos/joshuacraig/
The Ought to Self
Source: creative
commons:http://www.flickr.com/photos/lara68
Possible Selves and the
connection with Motivation
Self discrepancy theory
• People are motivated to reach a condition where their self-concept matches their self- guide.
• Motivation can be defined as the desireto reduce the discrepancy.
Higgins (1987,1996)
Imagination is the beginning of creation. You
imagine what you desire; you will what you imagine;
and at last you create what you will. George Bernard
Shaw Back to Methuselah
The role of imagination in Self
motivation
Imaging one’s own actions through
construction of elaborated possible
selves achieving desired goals may
directly facilitate the translation of goals
into intentions and instrumental action.
Markus and Ruvolo
Imagination is looking at an apple
seed and seeing a tree: Wenger
Source: creative commons: http://www.flickr.com/photos/calliope
Throughout history humans are driven by imagination
and the ability to see images of the desired future:
Boyatzis and Akrivov
Source:Leonardo da Vinci sketch of parachute: creativecommons.org: http://web.sc-
celje.si/tomi/seminarske2010/EkstremniSporti/padalstvo/cesar_shun.jpg
Possible Selves and Vision
Imagination and imagery are central to possible selves theory – possible selves harness the ‘remarkable power of the imagination in human life.’
( Markus 2006)
Markus and Nurius emphasise that future ideal selves are a reality for people, a vivid and tangible image that they can ‘see’ and ‘hear.’
(Markus and Ruvolo 1989)
Fusion of cognitive and
affective elements
• Future possible selves are more than
simple long-term goals since they
involve imagination and affect .
• At the same time, there is an element of
planning and goal setting.
Motivation based on the vision
of a future possible self is…
…fantasy tempered by expectation - or expectation leavened by fantasy.
…the social cognitive act of future planning combined with the equally human act of generating fantasy.
Segal 2006
Affect + cognition
imagination + practicality
…blest are those
Whose blood and judgement are so well
commingled
That they are not a pipe for Fortune’s
finger
To play what stop she please.
Shakespeare: Hamlet
4. The L2 Motivational Self
System
You are as many people as the
number of languages you speakHungarian proverb
Source: www.creative commons.org
L2 Motivational Self System
• Dornyei proposes three components:
• Ideal L2 Self – ‘the L2-specific facet of one’s ideal self: If the person we would like to become speaks an L2, the ideal L2 self is a powerful motivator because we would like to reduce the discrepancy between our actual and ideal selves.’
• Ought-to L2 Self – ‘the attributes that one believes one ought to possess to avoid possible negative outcomes and which may bear little resemblance to the person’s own wishes ‘
• L2 Learning Experience –’motives related to the immediate learning environment and experience (e.g. the positive impact of success, the enjoyable quality of a language course).’
L2 Motivational Self System
• Thus, the L2 Motivational Self System offers a
tripartite structure of the motivation to learn a
foreign/second language:
• The internal desires of the learner
• the social pressures exercised by significant
people in the learner’s environment
• The experience of being engaged in the
learning process.’
Conditions necessary for motivation
through future self guides• ‘The individual has a desired future self-image,
• which is elaborate and vivid;
• which is perceived as plausible and is in harmony with the expectations of the individual’s social environment;
• which is regularly activated in his/her working self-concept;
• which is accompanied by relevant and effective procedural strategies that act as a roadmap towards the goal;
• which contains information about the negative consequences of not achieving the desired goal.’
Dornyei’s six steps
• Creating the Vision
• Enhancing the Vision
• Substantiating the Vision
• Operationalising the Vision
• Keeping the Vision Alive
• Counterbalancing the Vision
A framework for a motivational
programme
Operationalising the Vision Keeping the Vision Alive
Imaging Identity
Creating the vision, Substantiating the Vision,
Counterbalancing the Vision
Aligning Selves, Enhancing the Vision
Imaging Identity
Source:: wikimedia creative commons: Juan Fernandez
Imaging Identity
‘I could never travel to the country of my
dreams to work, study, develop
professionally, or see people who were
dear to me.’
Instead, associating French with intellectualism, sophistication, and nobility, she created an imaginary French identity for herself, learning to speak with a Parisian accent, memorising popular French songs, reading French classics and detective stories in argot, mastering numerous written genres, cooking French food (from locally available ingredients), and even dipping ‘the imagined croissant into coffee.’
For her, this was the only possible escape from the political reality:
‘A French personality, after all, was much less confusing and safer than being a Jew in Soviet Russia.
It was a beautiful Me, the Me that I liked’
(Lvovich, 1997: 8-9).
Aim
To create an image of the future possible
L2 self that is
• attractive and desirable
• elaborate and detailed
• vividly experienced
Four Ideal Selves
• Successful Tourist Self
• Successful Global Citizen Self
• Successful Member of the Community
Self
• Successful Career Self
Operationalising the Vision
Source: wikimedia creativecommons: author Vipersnake151
• You must understand, I am not by nature a daydreamer. I try to control those parts of my life that can be controlled, to plan everything that I want to happen down to the most insignificant detail. I traffic in a world in which fractions of a second separate success and failure, so I'd visualized the 1996 Olympics down to the millisecond. I'd crafted a decade of dreams into ambitions, refined ambitions into goals, and finally hammered goals into plans (Johnson, 1996; p. 14)
Aim?
• To provide a route map towards
actualisation of the vision and ensure
that it does not remain in the realm of
fantasy.
Mapping The Journey
Mapping the Journey
From Vision to Goals
From Goals to Plans
From Plans to Strategies
From Strategies to Achievement
Distraction Jingles
Distraction Jingles
I’ll just check my cellphone
I’ll just look and see
I’ll listen to my ipod
And then I’ll watch TV
I’ll just………….
I’ll just have some tea
I’ll just……………….
Has anyone emailed me?
send a text/clean the fridge out next
go on Facebook/nothing left to cook
wash my hair/what shall I wear?
Distractions as Rewards
• The main ways I distract myself are…
• The distractions I most enjoy are…
• From now on I am going to use these
distractions as rewards.
• After …. minutes work I can….
• After …minutes work I can…
It took me a long time to control my images and perfect my imagery, maybe a year, doing it every day. At first I couldn’t see myself… or I would see my dives wrong all the time. I would get an image of hurting myself, or tripping on the board… As I continued to work at it, I got to the points where I could feel myself doing a perfect dive and hear the crowd yelling at the Olympics.
Gould et al 2002
Keeping the Vision Alive
Source : creative commons http://www.flickr.com/photos/robie06 author Roberto Ventre
Aim
• To keep the vision in the forefront of the
students’ minds and prevent it getting
lost in daily routines and tasks.
New!! Exciting!!
• Class X brings you the latest model of
_______________________(L_2_) speaker:
____________________________________ (space
for name or invented name)!
• ________________ can:
• ________________ is:
• Unique new design features include:
• Get one today! You will be delighted!
6.Future Possible Selves and
the Imagination
Imaging Identity
Creating the Vision
Substantiating the Vision
Counterbalancing the Vision
Aligning Selves
Enhancing the Vision
Jessica Mackay, Bethany Randall,
Beatrix Price, Csilla Jaray-Benn
• Bethany: tried a motivational
programme at Canberra University
• Jessica: using a role model to inspire
adolescent male students visualise their
Ideal L2 Selves at University of
Barcelona
• Csilla: magazine called Teens’ Voice
• Beatrix: Identity Wall : Teacher Future
Selves
Jessica
• PhD research at University of
Barcelona, using activities form
Motivating Learning.
• Inspired young male students to try
visualiation with a role model: Pep
Guardiola, ex coach of Barcelona
football club.
• Reported increased motivation and also
increase in WTC.
Bethany
From review in English Australia:
•I was surprised by the richness of their visions; these
encouraged me to be more sympathetic to their overall
learning aims… For my students, it was an exciting
change from typical activities.
•Students commented that they had never previously
been able to share their thoughts with their teacher and
that they found this useful
•Some students did the tasks instead of other set
homework as they were ‘more interesting.’
Csilla
Beatrix
Substantiating the Vision
• Aim:
• To provide a ‘reality check’ to identify
those elements of the vision that are
feasible and achievable.
Substantiating the Vision
• Aim:
• To provide a ‘reality check’ to identify
those elements of the vision that are
feasible and achievable.
Reality Check Worksheet
Look at what you wrote about your Ideal
Self
Which situations and aims do you think
are:
• Easily achievable
• Possible but more long-term
• Hard to achieve
• Not really achievable
Counterbalancing the vision
• Aim:
• To consider the consequences of not
actualising the future possible self.
• To identify the obstacles that might
prevent the future possible self from
being actualised.
The Barrier Selves
The Barrier Self • Imagine a conversation with your Barrier Self.
Write a brief film scene.
Meeting the Barrier Self:
filmshotsINT:AUCKLAND:STUDY:MORNING
Desk heaped with paper. Computer on desk. Jill sits at desk , turns computer on, shoves paper into random heap to clear space on desk…
Ideal Self: Right, I’m going to finish that article…
Barrier Self: Yeah, but you’d better put the dishes away first. And how about cleaning the sink while you’re at it?
Ideal Self: No, I’ve got a deadline.
Barrier Self: Better check your emails first..
Aligning Selves
• Aim:
• To identify if there is a clash between the Ought to and the Ideal Selves.
• To build an Ought To Self that is in harmony with the Ideal Self.
• To identify aspects of the Ought To Self that can assist in actualising the Ideal Self.
The Mom Song
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXgoJ0f5EsQ
The Ought To Self Song
Get up now, get up now
Get out of bed
Wash your face
Brush your teeth
Comb your sleepy head
My ought to self song
Hurry up, hurry up
And don’t be late
Take your pen
Start your work
Don’t make me wait!
Enhancing The Vision
• Aim:
• To enrich and extend the vision of a
future possible self.
Future Photo album
Future Development
A teacher development activity
Beatrix
Identity trees
Identity tree
• Label:
• The roots : the influences on you as a
teacher
• The trunk: your main strength
• The branches: teaching abilities : things
you know how to do, special talents you
have
Now add leaves
ways you would like to develop
new things to explore
new skills to learn
new experiences
Number your leaves
1.easily achievable
5. fantasy!
References
• Arnett,J. (2002) The psychology of globalization. American Psychologist 57 (10) 227-783.
• Boyatzis, R., and Akrivou, K. ( 2006) The ideal self as the driver of intentional change. Journal of Mangement Development 25 (7) 624-642.
• Coetzee- Van Rooy,S. (2006) Integrativeness: Untenable for World Englishes learners? World Englishes 25 (3) 437-450.
• Dornyei, Z., and Ushioda, E.(2009) Motivation, Language Identity and the L2 Self.Multilingual Matters.
• Gardner, R.C. ( 2001) Integrative motivation and second language acquistion in Z Dornyei and R Schmidt eds Motivation and Second Language Acquisition. University of Hawaii Press.
• Higgins, E. (1987) Self discrepancy: A theory relating self and affect . Psychological Review94 319-340.
• Higgins, E. ( 1996) The self-digest: Self knowledge serving self=regulatory functions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology71, 1063 2
• Higgins, E. ( 1998) promotion and Prevention : Regulatory focus as a motivational principle. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology 30, 1-46.
• Markus, H., and Nurius P. (1986) Possible Selves. American Psychologist 41, 954 -969
• Markus H., and Ruvolo, A, (1989) possible Selves: Personalised representations of goals.
In L.A. Pervin (ed) Goal Concepts in Personality and Social Psychology . Lawrence
Ehrbaum
• Markus, H. (2006) Foreword. In C. Dunkel and J. Kerpelman (eds) Possible Selves: Theory,
Research and Applications : Nova Science.
• Noels, K. et al (2000) Why are you learning a second language: Learners’ orientations and
self-determination theory. Language Learning 50 57-85.
• Segal, H. (2006) Possible selves, fantasy distortion and the anticipated life history: Exploring
the role of imagination in social cognition. In C. Dunkel and J. Kerpelman (eds) Possible
Selves:Theory, Research and Applications. Nova Science
• Wenger, E. (1998) Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning and identity. Cambridge
University Press
• Yashima, T. (200)) Orientations and motivations in foreign language learning: a study of
Japanese college students. JACET Bulletin 31 121-133
